With its moderate turnout and three live music stages, the annual West Coast edition of the Jersey-based event equaled a more relaxed experience for those in attendance. Some people have complained about the move from Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine to Angel Stadium, but the new home had several positives: comfortable restrooms and food vendors without long lines, multiple shaded areas during a hot afternoon, relatively easy access between stages and less of a traffic bottleneck.

Story of the Year, best known for their highly successful 2003 album Page Avenue, turned in a hard-hitting set on the main stage, too, characterized by various members who were unsatisfied about the mosh pit activity level (hey, it was almost 90 degrees out!) plus crude between-song banter and pogoing in unison.

Singer Dan Marsala made light about his voice being shot (screamo interludes are obviously taxing and should be saved for the end). More melodic alt-rock tunes (like “The Children Sing” and “I’m Alive”) from the band’s solid, just-released effort The Constant made up for any shortcomings, though.

Yet half the sizeable crowd seemed indifferent. One teenage girl standing next to me was obviously bored and suddenly let out her own mocking roar, followed by giggles with her friends. Audience approval definitely picked up during big hit “Until the Day I Die,” however.

One highly anticipated act among those in attendance (signs and T-shirts were everywhere) was Phoenix’s the Maine. Yet the band’s run-of-the-mill pop-punk fell flat. When leader John O’Callaghan let people sing major chunks of “Girls Do What They Want” and “We All Roll Again,” he seemed lazy. Later, after forcefully demanding more movement to the music, it came off as arrogance.

American flags with peace symbols adorned the stage when Never Shout Never performed. It was entirely appropriate, given 19-year-old emo singer-songwriter Christofer Drew Ingle’s frequent onstage pronouncements of love and togetherness at Bamboozle.

Essentially a solo artist, Ingle (above) had a full band to help flesh out the often shrill selections from his popular What Is Love? EP. His endearing stories almost made you want to run up and give the kid a hug. Opening with the folksy “Love Is Our Weapon” and a flume of confetti, fans hung on and shrieked at every word. The cutesy “Jane Doe” was akin to a simple-minded Ben Lee, while the piano-led cover of the Beatles’ “Across The Universe” worked well.

“This is quite a homecoming for us,” said Andrew McMahon of Something Corporate (top), as the O.C. band marked its first full concert in six years at the festival. A new retrospective due this spring as well as the 10th anniversary of the group’s first independent CD served as impetus for this reunion.

McMahon admitted he was extremely nervous and had been on the verge of sickness all day, yet musical cobwebs were nonexistent for these musicians, now in their late 20s. The pianist-vocalist-songwriter has kept his touring chops and showmanship intact in intervening years with his current outfit, Jack’s Mannequin.

As SoCo took the stage to the strains of Europe’s “The Final Countdown,” its excellent 65-minute, 14-song set kicked off with the soaring pop/rock of “I Want to Save You” as McMahon hammered out the frantic piano lines. Guitarist Josh Partington pumped his fists and looked like he couldn’t be happier than being with his old pals again.

There were subtle, more mature touches in the band’s music as well. McMahon’s voice had a more sonorous timbre on the rambunctious “Punk Rock Princess” and “The Astronaut.” He reminisced about writing the sweeping ballad “Cavanaugh Park” after making a detour off the 5 freeway. Unlike Jack’s Mannequin, the more raucous nature of many SoCo tunes gave McMahon the chance to roam the stage, especially on “Space” and “Hurricane.” Other highlights included the percolating “I Woke Up in a Car” and swoon-worthy “Me and the Moon.”

Die-hard enthusiasts were treated to the nearly 10-minute dramatic epic and rarity “Konstantine,” and the rousing concert-closer “If You C Jordan” found the guys pulling out all the stops while McMahon pounced on his keys.

Over on the side stage, Far — the influential ’90s alt-rock band from Sacramento — pulled in a shamefully tiny audience. “I don’t know what’s going on over there, but this is going to be better,” said compelling singer Jonah Matranga. He was right. Far, a reference point for Jimmy Eat World, Thursday and countless others, suddenly re-emerged late last year with a cover of Ginuwine’s “Pony” (a KROQ hit) and in May will release At Night We Live, its first studio album in a dozen years.

Only one song (the blistering “Deafening”) was debuted during the intense, thought-provoking set. Instead, Far concentrated on the 1998 disc Water & Solutions (including the chunky riff rocker “Mother Mary,” the full-on hardcore of “I Like It,” “The System” and “Wear It So Well”). All told, Far left me wanting more; I look forward to seeing the band perform more pop-oriented new tunes in the future.

Orange County’s the Colourist, recently nominated for three OC Music Awards, brought to mind the giddiness of Imperial Teen and a less cerebral Decemberists. Melody is king for this indie rock quartet, where each member takes turns singing. Whenever frontman and guitarist Adam Castilla and drummer Maya Tuttle’s voices intertwined, it was blissful. Opening with a bit of Daft Punk, they segued into the fizzy pop of “Oh Goodbye.” Elsewhere, the synth-heavy “Put the Fire Out” and “We Won’t Go Home” (complete with xylophone) were highly danceable, while the darker “Night’s Still Young” revisited the Cure.

Anarbor, another pop/rock band from the Grand Canyon State, pleased several dozen female fans with insanely catchy songs along the lines of Cartel and Panic at the Disco. Leader Slade Echeverra impressed with just the right amount of self-confidence, as if he were performing at an arena. “You and I,” the theme from last year’s Cartoon Network movie Scooby Doo: The Mystery Begins, was a standout.

George A. Paul, whose first concert was Neil Diamond at The Fabulous Forum in 1983, has written about entertainment since the early 1990s. He also posts music news, reviews and interviews at newwavegeo.blogspot.com.

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